UK Cypriot Who’s Who goes international

Following up on the success of the book Greek Cypriots In the UK: A Directory of Who’s Who, Pen Press Publishers have announced that an international edition is to be released.

The international edition will raise the profile of the achievements of Greek Cypriots worldwide. The 300-page book will contain over 2,000 profiles, each accompanied by a passport-sized photo. There will be 3,000 copies printed and distributed internationally by bookshops and online publishers.

There are an estimated 60,000 Greek Cypriots living abroad, mostly situated in the UK, USA and Australia.

The original book, still available, contains over 1,000 profiles of Greek Cypriots who have contributed socially and professionally to their communities in the United Kingdom and Cyprus. It took over four years to compile, according to Michael Yiakoumi, the book’s author and producer, who describes it as “a celebration of what our community has achieved.”

Yiakoumi is a former Lloyd’s underwriter and contributor to Parakiaki, a newspaper for London’s Cypriot community.

Among the Cypriots profiled in the original book are George Michael, Peter Andre, the Archbishop of Thyateira and Great Britain, Janet Paraskeva, Kypros Nicolaides, and Linda Papadopoulos.

The new book was initiated by Yiakoumi and Sophie Toumazis, director of London-based media consultant firm TPR. It has a growing team of contributors, including Kyriakos Tsioupras, former editor of Parakiaki and former general manager of London Greek Radio, who will edit the publication and write a brief history of the UK’s Greek Cypriot community.